Code of Conduct at events

[John Goerzen]

On 11/10/2010 10:35 AM, Wichert Akkerman wrote:
> On 11/10/10 16:11 , John Goerzen wrote:
>> On 11/10/2010 07:15 AM, Wichert Akkerman wrote:
>>> On 11/10/10 14:00 , David Graham wrote:
>>>> On Wed, 10 Nov 2010, Adrian Bunk wrote:
>>>>> You don't need a code of conduct for going to the police and report a
>>>>> crime.
>>>>
>>>> I come down firmly only the side of Adrian on this.
>>>
>>> Amen. I would boycot events which try to be stricter than the law or
>>> which try to make themselves be a judge; there is too much room for
>>> error with possibly disastrous results.
>>
>> The law various from country to country, as does the effectiveness of
>> its enforcement. Do we find it acceptable to permit this sort of
>> behavior when conferences are held in countries that don't effectively
>> prohibit it?
>
> Yes. Do you want to pretend to enforce (part of) US law in other
> countries? That would be odd.

No, you misunderstand me.

What I'm saying is that there are certain behaviors that we should find 
unacceptable at a conference, regardless of where it is held.  What I'm 
saying is that morality isn't, in practical terms, defined by legality. 
  If we consider it unethical for certain things to happen, then we need 
to try to prevent them from happening everywhere.  *How* we do that may 
vary.  Maybe in New York we call the cops, and in some other location we 
simply make the person leave.

But the point is that if we hold a conference in a place where the law 
protects women (or whomever) less, it is unethical for us to say "Well 
here that's legal, so we won't do anything to stop it."  We'd have an 
obligation to step in and do what we can to stop it anyhow.

-- John

>
> Wichert.
>